At the Benguet provincial board last Monday (June 23), the province's police director Rodolfo Azurin admitted that there's lack of coordination between the police and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Azurin made the admittance after board member Jack Dulnuan threw him questions as to why the illegal activities in Mt. Sto. Tomas were able to damage a lot of trees and mountain slopes before being halted.
It's a valid question and kudos to Azurin for manning up and accepting where his camp went awry. He directly admitted that his office weren't able to efficiently coordinate with the DENR. Even better, he is providing a solution to the problem by suggesting that a police sub-station will be installed in the Mt. Sto. Tomas area. Now if only the people tagged with the damage done in the forest reserve do the same and man up like Azurin. The folks implicated remain mum and as long as they remain mum, cleanup of the damaged water sources will stay in limbo.
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| A portion of the road project in Mt. Sto. Tomas. Photo: Cordi Eco-Center Pine Tree |
